Courtyard By Marriott Ewing Hopewell

... br>
Day 3:
Continue south on 101 and stop at Kalaloch Beach, home to plump sunning sea lions and Kalaloch lodge, lunch!
Drive on to Mount Rainier National Park & do an afternoon hike.
Stay at the Paradise Inn

Day 4:
take Route 410 thru Rainier's eastern border and climb above the tree line at Chinook Pass (open may-Nov)

... Capilano Suspension Bridge.
Grab lunch in Dundarave Village (at 25th st) at one of the many cafes or coffee houses.
After lunch head out to Whistler Mountain. After checking into Adara Hotel (www.adarahotel.com) head over to Blackcomb Tube Park (1,000 ft tubing lanes)

Sunday:
Skiing @ Whistler Mountain

Hotel: The Opus Hotel in Yaletown

... Tim-Tams which they seemed to enjoy, but we could tell they were not the ORIGINAL from home but still ok to try. We also had meatballs and some deserts which made for a eventful evening.
The night was great and before people were leaving they even has pics on facebook.
We decided to clean up a little so the job would not be as bad in the morning and even slipped in a couple of Seinfeld episodes before sacking it around the 03:00 mark.

... was approached by a cop (with Donut frosting all over his face!) and he began with the whole "If I let you use this little one then I need to let the next person use his bigger one to as it would be his constitutional right...blah blah blah". So I cut him short and basically said "What you are really tring to say is I can't sue a tripod here". One message for the Yanks since 9/11. KISS (Keep it simple stupid). No tourist wants to ...

... dream. Doug suggested that our father drive him to Detroit where I could pick him up and then drive him to Colorado. I told him that involved way too much driving and that he should fly. He said flying was too expensive. This developed into an argument in which I suggested he just stay home. that if he couldn't afford to fly to Colorado then he couldn't afford to ski there. In a ...

Post-travel thoughts on Colombia While I anticipated a much safer trip than most would expect in Colombia, the reader knows that it wasn't without a violent surprise or two. Sure, I witnessed the FARC in action, but then again I realized I was heading into a country at war. Of all the places I visited and all the routes I traveled, the only one that is questionable is Villavicencio, as some claim that region is in "the mouth of the wolf". Otherwise, traveling mainly by day and keeping ...

So I'm embarking on my second incursion into Colombia, land of the famed El Dorado, but probably more often associated with drug barons, guerillas, violence and coffee. My journey last year consisted of a stint in Bogotá followed by ten days in Cartagena on the Caribbean coast, where I encountered modern cities, beautiful landscapes, a rich culture, an array of friendly people brimming with national pride and of course, a vibrant night life. Though Colombia isn't an orphan to ...

New York was the longest place I've stayed so far (5 nights) and I sure needed it. This place is huge and there were some places I still didn't get a chance to see, I will have to see them another time. Although NYC is huge, the subway makes it really easy to get around and only costs $2 per ride. When I landed it New York, it was actually raining for the first time on my trip. But luckily the next day it was sunny and it remained that way for the rest of the stay. On the ...

... towards us in all directions and squatting us out the way if we were in their path. Madness!! We made it to the taxi rank (just!) and took our lives into our hands by catching a yellow cab. How they don't have pile up upon pile up every day, I will never know! We got to our hostel, Jazz on the Park only to be told that we had no booking by the most miserable, rude little thing I have ever met! We finally got that sorted and got into our 12 bed dorm at 11am and ...

... composed. Our trip was over. We'd spent a week and a half in Boston and New York. We hadn't made it to Montreal. I had spent some good time with great friends, and Natalie and I had both made new friends. No idea when I'll see them again, but I guess I'm used to that too. We had an absolutely fantastic drive home. We got lost in New Jersey. Asked directions at a Burger King where the entire staff was nattering away at each other in Spanish. Got lost a ...